Erubescent
by coyninjaturtle
Summary: Three step-sisters arrive at Ouran with the family's hopes of turning their not so promising lives into something... better. When things grow more stressing, how will the girls and hosts take care of it? Further summary inside
1. Introductions Part 1

**A/N:** For those who have put me on alert and are waiting for another chapter of my Bleach fics, I'm terribly sorry but my brain is dry on those right now. :/ I have a camp all week, and I get to see my friends, so hopefully things will move from there. Until then, I've come up with this along with more characters whom I love very much :D (not just the ones in this story)

**Summary:** When two families come together, they are joined in Japan. Three sisters are sent to Ouran as an alternative to the ever eccentric _Lobelia_. Things start out great, and even Brena's starting to open up. However, when their families begin to push things they deem 'more important' onto the girls, how will they handle it? And will there be help outside their circle of three?

OC pairings ahead- and although I try not to make things completely romance, Ouran is pretty much just romance and humor, is it not? owo  
>There will be sadness and anger in this, however, so beware! ono<p>

The first part of this was meant to be a prologue of sorts, but I didn't want to post something so short as a first chapter XD **So, I combined them! :D**  
>I hope you guys enjoy my first Ouran fic ^^<p>

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><p>"Can you believe she tried to send us <em>there<em>?"

"That place is filled with loonies, I swear. And the way they were all falling for her- what the hell?"

"I know! It's a good thing it's easy to convince Mom about changing her mind."

Two other girls nodded in agreement from their places on a bed and the floor. The one who had spoken last sat in a spinning chair, enjoying it's ability.

"It helps that she had a rather... bad experience during our visit," the brunette said. She had a sly smirk across her face and was laying on the bed.

"You guys are brilliant." The girl in the chair stopped spinning and smiled at the two.

The blond on the floor smiled and did a mock bow while sitting. "Thank you, thank you."

"So where did your mom say we were going next?" the brunette asked, sitting up.

"I think it was Ouran. She said that it was the only other school she'd want us to go to. Her _precious little girls_."

"Your mom is weird," the blond commented.

The one in the chair just shrugged. "Aren't we all?"

The bunette and blond looked at each other and shrugged. "True."

The three then returned to their own business; the one in the chair spinning around once more and the other two talking about things they spotted in a magazine. There wasn't any time left for them to visit the school they were going to, so they would just have to make the best out of the situation.

**:-:End Prologue:-:**

The next day the girls woke up bright and early for their first day at Ouran. The uniforms and schedules had been picked up the day before- after their experience at Lobelia.

"_These_ are the uniforms?"

"Why yellow?"

"I can't wait to see the guys' uniforms."

The three were in the master bathroom, standing in the full length mirror to look at their dresses. At first they thought it was some kind of joke, but their mom swore that every girl wore them. So there they were, in full uniform- shoes included.

"Brena! Amy! Kari!" a voice called from the hallway. "You don't want to be late, do you?"

Kari, the one who sat in the spinning chair, opened the door. There stood a smiling woman who looked similar to Kari, the same dark hair and brown eyes, and their face was similar to. "We were just on our way," Kari told her.

"Oh, you girls look so cute!" the woman cried. Kari sweatdropped at her exclamation as Brena and Amy sidestepped the two and walked into the hallway.

"Like we said," Brena began.

"Your mom is weird," Amy finished.

The two then looked at Kari's mom with smiles. "Not that that's a bad thing."

The two then disappeared down the hallway. Kari's mom then ushered her in the same direction, "Go on, Kari, you can't be late!"

Kari rolled her eyes and started down the stairs as her mother waved from the top. "Have a great day, Kari!"

"You too mom," Kari called back before closing the door. In their driveway, a red convertable sat with Brna and Amy in the front seats.

"Looks like the back for me," she mumbled as she walked to the car.

"Hey, Kari."

"Are you ready for your first day of school?"

Kari looked at the two and shook her head with a smile. "And you guys say my mom's weird."

The two looked at each other and shrugged before Brena started the car. Amy was messing with the music and changing songs every 2 minutes. Kari looked at her two step-sisters before watching the neighborhood pass by the window.

Brena and Amy Stewart. The first time they met, Kari had confused them for twins which they didn't seem to like. The fact they weren't on good terms at the time didn't help either.

_"We're not twins," they said at the same time. "Just sisters."_

_"You two speaking at once, in the same tone, doesn't help," Kari mumbled._

_The two glared at her. "We wouldn't be speaking to you right now if it wasn't for your mom," Brena said, poking her collar bone._

_"Yeah," Amy added. "And our parents would still be together."_

_Kari pushed Brena's hand away and glared at the two. "My mom did nothing wrong, if anything it was your father!" The sisters looked at her in surprise and she continued before they could say anything. "I know what happened with your family, and that's not my family's fault! So stop blaming my mom for your parents not being together and just deal with it."_

_Kari paused to make sure they had nothing else to say before walking off. The sisters remained standing for a few minutes, looking at the floor, before sitting down in some chairs by a table._

Their first meeting wasn't on the best terms, but they were okay now. Kari looked at the two once more and smiled; she always wanted to have a sister and now she had two.

"So what do you think the school's gonna be like?" Amy asked. She was the youngest of the two, but still just as sly as her sister.

"Not sure," Brena replied. "But it's coed, so maybe the guys will be cuter than back home. What do ou think, Kari?"

Kari smiled. "There's bound to be at least three guys that are more attractive than the ones you've shown me," she told her.

Amy, Brena, and their father were from America. They moved here when their father and Kari's mom got married and their father was able to get his job relocated to Japan so he would be closer to his new home. Brena and Amy still referred to America as 'home.'

"The pictures I showed you were of guys I've never met," Brena said with a laugh. "I would've stayed home if I knew guys like that!"

The girls shared a laugh before Kari noticed where they were. "I think we need to turn there," she told Bena as she pointed across Amy.

Brena quickly slowed and turned as the street was a surprise to her. "Damn, I'm still not used to these roads," she mumbled to herself.

"Maybe I should drive next time," Kari suggested, holding onto the bar above the door.

"Or we could just get a driver," Amy said with a glint in her eyes. She had always been into the things that money could buy, and getting a personal driver was on her list of 'super-amazing rich people things.' Her dad was humble with his money, however, so she usually didn't get what she asked for.

Brena made a face at both those suggestions and made another, less violent turn. "Nonsense, I'm just fine. I just said I wasn't used to it. I can learn."

"Hopefully we don't die in the process," Kari mumbled to Amy, who just nodded.

Brena rolled her eyes and turned up the radio. After only a few seconds more of driving, the gates of Ouran High School were in veiw. Brena slowed down signifigantly as the three stared at the school in front of them.

"This place is huge!" Amy cried with excitement.

Brena found a parking lot and pulled into it, hoping they weren't specifically reserved for staff. "The bigger the place, the better the chances of getting lost. And the better the chances of it being haunted." She made a gesture to spook Amy, but it didn't work as well as it used to.

"Let's go check it out!" Amy got out of the car and took off out of the parking lot. Kari and Brena were following behind, however at a more reasonable pace.

Amy stopped to look at the school and let her sisters catch up. She was smiling the biggest smile as she thought about how wonderful the teachers would be, all the afterschool clubs she could join, and the new friends she could make.

Although, Brena would throw a fit if she didn't approve of her new friends. Amy looked behind her to see the two were closer than she thought the'd be.

"Come on guys, we don't have much time!"

Brena grabbed her shoulder before Amy took off again, making the blond match their pace. "We got here an hour early just so you could look around while we try to find our classes."

Kari handed the two papers and she looked at her own. "These are our schedules, and a map of the school."

"Pshh," Brena waved the map. "Maps are lame! And they never help."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, if anything they get you more lost than you would be without one."

The two threw the maps back at Kari and began walking up the steps with their arms over each other's shoulders. Kari glared after them, temple throbbing, before she calmed down and followed them up the steps.

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><p><strong>AN:** And there it is! ^^

Usually I don't say this kind of thing because it annoys the heck out of me when I read it, but **please review!** Even if it's just on _one_ chapter that I post, I like to know that you guys like it. ;w;  
>The alerts and favorites are amazing, but reviews are so much better! ^^;<p>

**Anyway**, I hope you guys liked the beginning!

**I'm gonna say... 3 reviews. Three reviews before I post the next chapter. :D**

**And no, getting a butload of favorites and alerts wont amout to a review.  
><strong>actuallyitprobablywill


	2. Introductions Part 2

**A/N: **First off, I know I said I'd wait until there were 3 reviews, but perhaps only having one chapter up wasn't enough for that. So, let's see how many I can get with chapter 2 up! :D

Also, I've changed the summary of the story now that I actually have an idea of what my plot is. In fact, I've planned it almost to the end! :D  
>I hope you guys enjoy it! ^^<p>

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><p>"...<em>Rebel, rebel, you've torn your dress<em>."

"..._Rebel, rebel, your face is a mess_."

Kari sighed to herself while looking at the now only map the three had. Brena and Amy were always singing English songs that Kari couldn't understand; this was one of those times.

"According to this," Kari said, stepping between the two. "We're on the second floor, east wing. This is where our science and history classes are."

"How can you read that thing?" Brena asked, looking over Kari's shoulder. Amy followed suit.

"Yeah, there are hardly any words on it at all."

Kari smirked. "It's actually quite simple, and there's a legend, Amy."

"Like Will Smith?"

"What?"

"I Am Legend."

"No, Amy. Not that kind of legend."

"Oh..."

Kari shook her head before walking a few paces ahead of them. "You two should be interested in this," she said as she led them up some stairs. "Music rooms."

The sisters looked at each other with a smile and ran ahead, looking in all the rooms labeled as such.

"One."

...

"Two."

...

"Three!"

"Hey, wait," they said at the same time.

"There's nothing in here," Amy whined, walking inside. "Just a bunch of furniture!"

Brena walked in with her and the two stood looking for anything musical. All they saw was a baby grand in the corner.

Brena frowned. "The _furniture_ should be in a corner, not such a beauty."

"What do you care? You can't even play," Kari said from the doorway.

Brena stuck her tongue out at her and put her hands on her hips. "So? I recognize a good instrument when I see it!"

"Right now we know nothing about this school," Kari told them. "So, let's just lay low for a bit and see what it's like. Maybe something about this decorated music room will come up."

Brena and Amy slouched and made their way to the door. "Fine," they grumbled.

Kari smirked and followed them back down the stairs.

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

"You're not staying with us?" Amy asked, looking at her step-sister.

Kari smiled and shook her head. "Remember, I'm older than the both of you, so I'm not in the same grade."

"Come on Amy, we can still get the good seats in the back," Brena said, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder. "We'll see Kari at lunch."

Amy nodded and waved to Kari before they took open seats in the back of the classroom. There were still 10 minutes until class started, so the classroom wasn't completely filled. Kari made sure they had their schedules like the good older sister she was and left to her own class; she was a grade above the two.

"Are we in the same classes?" Brena asked, holding her schedule in the space between the desks.

"I'm not sure." Amy copied her action and the two scanned through the papers.

Homeroom- duh, first period- yes, second- yes, third- yes, lunch- duh, fourth- yes, fifth- no, sixth- yes, seventh- no.

"Two classes without Amy," Brena sulked.

Amy pulled her into a tight hug, causing her older sister to fall halfway out of the chair. "I'll miss you!"

"Ahem."

The two looked up from their awkward position to see two redheads looking at them. They remained exactly how they were. "Yes?" they asked at the same time.

"You're taking up-"

"-our seats."

Amy and Brena looked at each other and inwardly smirked.

"It's the first day of school," Brana began.

"And this is just homeroom," Amy added.

"Plus, there's no names on these seats," they said at the same time.

The twins in front of them glanced at each other, sharing the same kind of conversation Amy and Brena had before.

The twins leaned forward and looked between the two of them. "You two are twins as well, aren't you?"

Amy and Brena tilted their heads to the side with a amile. "No," they said at once before moving their heads back. "But you two are, aren't you?"

Before the twins could reply, a teacher walked in, hushing the students and telling them to all take a seat. He got his things situated and organized his desk quickly before picking up a piece of paper.

"Alright, it says here that we have two foreign students with us this year. Would the two of you please stand?"

The class all turned to the back when they saw the two stand. They looked around the class, pausing when they spotted the twins and looked back at the teacher.

"Introduce yourselves, please."

"I'm Amy."

"And I'm Brena."

Amy did a quick and small wave with a smile, and Brena just stood with a weak smile. The teacher waved at them while looking over his papers. "Thank you, please take your seats now."

He explained a few things about the school and mentioned club activities, which Amy was very interested in. Once he finished speaking from his paper, he sat back down to prepare for his first class while the students began to talk amongst themselves.

"Why do you think they have homeroom here?"Amy asked, scooting her desk closer to Amy's. After seeing that homeroom was listed on their schedules, Brena assumed that it wasn't just a first day of school kind of thing.

"I don't know, maybe this is the only time they have to take attendance?" Brena suggested.

They shrugged at each other and their gaze fell on all the bags in the room. Brena sighed slightly. "Kari's mom was right, even rich kids take bags to school. Not as many, but it still happens..."

Amy smiled at her sister. "Just bring it tomorrow! And don't forget my iPod!"

"Excuse us."

They looked at each other when the read heads from before spoke. Brena turned in her seat and Amy looked up, they both smiled their different smiles. "Hey."

"We thought we'd introduce ourselves," the one on the right said. "I'm Kaoru-"

"-and I'm Hikaru-"

"-we're the Hitachiin twins," they finished in unison.

"It's very nice to meet you," the sisters said at the same time.

"We were curious-" Hikaru began.

"-you said you weren't twins before, right?"

"Yeah," Amy and Brena said at the same time.

Amy raised her hand with a smile. "I'm the youngest!"

Brena smiled and shook her head. "We just look alike. We're actually almost a year apart."

"Interesting," the Hitachiins mused. Brena and Amy shrugged.

"Do you guys trick people?" Amy asked, curiosity written all over her face. "You look exactly alike."

The twins looked at each other and smiled at the two. "Sometimes."

Brena looked to the one on the right. "Are you really Kaoru, or are you tricking us now?"

The twins shrugged with smug grins and switched places. "Who knows?"

Amy pointed at them. "You do!"

The twins inwardly sweatdropped. "How old did you say you were?"

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

Kari sighed as she approached the classroom. Her homeroom was a pretty good walk from her step-sisters' so she guessed she'd only be there a minute or so before the bell. Which was late to her.

She walked in the classroom, and sure enough there were few seats open. A faint blush rose to her cheeks when she noticed all eyes were on her, including the teacher.

"You must be Gakari Kari, correct?"

"Yes," she said softly.

"Please take a seat there," he told her, pointing to an end seat by a blond.

_He must be a foreigner, like Amy and Brena,_ she noted as she took her seat as the bell rang. The teacher began to explain a few things about the school and after school activities, but she didn't pay much attention.

She couldn't help but think about Brena and Amy, wondering how they were doing and if they were making friends or keeping to themselves. They were always so unpredictable when it came to socializing.

Once the teacher had finished speaking, everyone began to talk amongst themselves. Kari looked around the room and silently observed some of the more interesting people. Her gaze soon fell on the blond beside her.

Said blond smiled brightly at Kari, reminding her of Amy. "I'm Tamaki, it's very nice to meet you, princess!"

_Princess?_ Kari smiled awkwardly back at him. "It's nice to meet you as well, Tamaki."

He quickly sat back and gestured to the person sitting beside him. "This is my friend Kyoya Ootori," he told her.

She waved shyly at him. "Hello, Kyoya Ootari."

Kyoya looked at her and smiled, saying hello, and returning back to his laptop. The smile that quickly vanished was clearly fake- although it was as believable as Amy and Brena's. Which would be a good thing to know about him.

_His name sounds familiar... _ she thought, looking down at the floor. She shrugged it off and looked back over at the two, only to find Tamaki was closer than before.

She jumped back with a squeak, and found herself about to fall onto the floor. She was stopped by a hand grabbing onto hers and pulling her back up.

"I'm sorry!" he apologized, making sure she still had her balance. "I didn't mean to frighten you, princess."

She smiled at him with her hand over her heart as if helping to calm it down. "It's perfectly fine, Tamaki. But, if you don't mind me asking, why do you keep calling me princess?"

He still had a hold on her wrist, and placed his other hand on top of hers. "Because you are a princess in my eyes."

She blushed at his closeness and tried to register what he had just said. Before she could become further embarrassed, the bell had rung. However, Tamaki didn't move.

"I would love to see you at our host club after school," he told her with a smile. "It's in music room three." He gathered his things together as her brain slowly began processing everything. "I look forward to seeing you, princess."

As he left, Kari shook her head and gathered her things together. "What a strange person," she mumbled to herself. "A princess? Me?" She laughed at the idea and left after checking her map to see where she would be going next.

_Although,_ she thought _I kind of _am_ like a princess, I suppose... my mom having married someone with such a large amount of money... Not a typical princess story, but our house is so much bigger now..._

She still thought of being a princess, different scenarios playing through her head, as she entered her next class. She took a seat at an empty desk while the room was slowly being filled with other students.

She didn't bother to notice who she would be spending her math class with as she was trying to follow her own advice about laying low. She wasn't really a sociable person when it came to brand new strangers.

Of course, this thought led her to wonder if Amy and Brena were being sociable, or as anti-social as when she had first met them.

_Either way, I feel sorry for anyone they have a class with._

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><p><strong>AN:** The lyrics in the beginning are to a song called _Rebel, Rebel_ by **David Bowie**. Who is amazing, just fyi.

I hope this chapter caught some more interest than just the first one alone, and please review letting me know what you thought! ^^  
>faves and alerts are also acceptable ;P<p> 


	3. Introductions Part 3

**A/N:** As I suspected, I got the number of reviews I wanted after posting the second chapter! :}D I'm intelligent.

ANYWAYS, here's chapter 3 for y'all!

**Draycos:** Thank you so much for the review, and I'm glad you like it! :D I hope this update was soon enough for ya. (:

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><p>"Why is it that the guys get those normal uniforms and we're stuck in these hideous dresses? And yellow ones at that!" Brena had a scowl on her face as she looked form the girls to the guys and noticed the obvious differences in the uniforms.<p>

Amy nodded and picked up the bottom of her dress as if to observe every minuscule stitch. "They'd probably look better in blue. Plus I'd look much better in it!"

A small smile appeared on Brena's face and she patted her sister's head. "Well, the sooner we get home, the sooner we can change into something less tacky."

Amy smiled. "Right. Let's go find Kari!"

"Kari is right here," a voice said from a classroom they passed. Retracing their steps without turning around, the sisters saw Kari standing next to a girl with the same dark hair, but with a more cheerful expression.

"Who's that?" Brena asked, unconsciously crossing her arms.

"This is my classmate, Kiki," Kari told them. "She's offered to show us around the school and tell us about the clubs."

Brena raised an eyebrow at Kari's lack of enthusiasm. Amy, however, was blinded to everyone else's lack of enthusiasm by the gratuitous amounts of her own. She smiled brightly and took hold of Kiki's arm and pulled her out of the door way.

"Lead the way, Kiki!" she cheered. Brena and Kari followed the two reluctantly and didn't pay much attention to what was being said.

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

"The art club sounds like fun," Amy said to Brena.

"Let's see what other options we have," Brena told her. "I'm not the best artist."

Amy nodded happily while Kari looked over at the two. Brena was walking on the right side of Amy, away from Kiki (the one who was leading them) and her scowl clashed with Amy's cheerful smile.

To any outsider, this wouldn't stand out as much. However, Kari had been around the two long enough to realize Amy was dealing with Brena being her anti-social and subtly clingy self.

"And this is my personal favorite," Kiki said with great enthusiasm as they approached a familiar room. "The host club!"

She opened the door to Music Room 3 and it was then the girls saw why it was so well furnished. Inside, there were a good number of girls taking up the space of that morning's empty seats, and for each group of girls there was one or two guys.

"We're a bit late, but it should be fine."

As Kiki informed them of their timing, a dark haired host with glasses approached them. Kiki turned her attention to him and did a small bow.

"Sorry I'm late, I was showing the new students around." She smiled and gestured to the three who stood behind her.

Kari waved as Kiki walked to her host. "Hello, Kyouya."

"You know him?" Brena and Amy asked.

"He's in my homeroom," she replied thoughtfully. "And a few others I think... Tamaki is, too."

"Speaking of Tamaki," Kyouya began, looking in the direction of the blond and the girls surrounding him. Kari, Brena, and Amy followed his gaze to see the girls giggling and blushing and Tamaki was speaking to one in particular who looked as if she was about to faint.

"He is the most requested host," Kyouya told them. He pushed up his glasses and wrote something down in a black notebook.

"What exactly is a host club?" Amy asked curiously.

Kyouya clicked his pen and closed his notebook as a faint sigh escaped his lips. "The host club is where the school's most handsome men with too much time on their hands entertain young ladies who also have too much time on their hands," he told them, quoting Tamaki.

"Oh! So it's like a big waste of money _and_ time then," Amy and Brena said in unison.

Kyouya's temple throbbed at their comment before he jotted something else down. Brena and Amy watched curiously while Kari took a look around the club, trying to find Kiki.

She was sitting by a very tall and seemingly quiet host and it seemed the girls around him were focused on a boy who looked much younger than anyone else in there.

"I'm so happy you could make it, Princess!"

Kari jumped and turned to see Tamaki standing behind her with a smile. Brena and Amy turned to look as well.

"You must be Tamaki," Brena noted.

"Yes I am," he replied with the same smile. "May I ask your name, Princess?"

Tamaki took her hand, to which Brena just raised her eyebrows and her lips formed a straight line. Kari and Amy watched, wondering what Brena would do to the clueless blond.

"Well I'll give you a hint. It's most definitely not Princess," Brena told him as she took her hand back.

Tamaki looked at her questionably before Kyouya spoke up. "Tamaki, you have guests to attend to."

"But these three are guests as well!" He argued.

"You have _paid_ guests," he rephrased.

Tamaki stalked away, however went back to his 'princely' self once he returned to the guests. Kyouya turned to the three with a smile Kari recognized as his fake.

"Now, would any of you like to request one of the hosts?"

Brena looked at Amy, then glanced to Kari before looking back to Kyouya and taking her sister's arm. "Not today, thank you. Let's go."

Brena led Amy out the door they had entered through and Kari watched before smiling to Kyouya. "Maybe next time, they're still not used to things here."

Kyouya watched as she followed her sisters lead before writing something else in his book of secrets. He turned to his laptop and began finding out what he could about the three while the other hosts continued to entertain their guests, completely oblivious to the busy Ootari.

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><p><strong>AN:** I hope you guys liked this! I'm working on chapter 4 now. :D

And for those who are subscribed to either of my Bleach stories, I'll hopefully get new chapters of them up within the next week, seeing as band camp will be a 3 hour practice instead of the 8/7 hour practice is _has_ been. :D

Thank you all for the reviews, alerts, and faves- not _just_ on this story. ^^


	4. Brena's Problem

**A/N:** Here's another chapter! :D

This is where a bit of the anger and such will come in. Also, if it seems to be going a bit fast in this chapter, it's because I don't want to make the story too long, and this little dispute will last for a while, but it's _not _the plot, so I don't want to focus on it too much.

Now, without further adieu, please enjoy this chapter! :D

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><p>"Home, sweet home... kinda." Brena dragged her feet up the stairs, leaving Amy and Kari to themselves.<p>

"Hey, Kari, do you want a snack?" Amy asked while she began walking toward the kitchen.

Kari shrugged and followed her. "Sure."

Their downstairs was big for a simple two-story house, and was pretty much only two rooms; the kitchen/dining room, and the living room. After you walked out of the front hallway, the living room was the first room you saw; it had both a leather and fabric couch, and a coffee table that sat in the middle of the room, separating the couches. Surrounding the fireplace on the far wall were shelves filled with books, CDs, and a small stereo, and in the corner where a large TV once was sat a baby grand piano that Kari would play to entertain guests.

There was a large doorway (which lacked a door) that led to the kitchen. Once Amy and Kari had made it through, they were greeted with a vast, green dining room that was taken up mostly by the dining table. To the right, another door less doorway led to a white and green kitchen with marble counter tops and dark brown cabinets.

Amy opened the door to a walk-in pantry while Kari sat herself on a counter top. Overhead, she heard running water at the same time Amy closed the door.

"I guess Brena's taking a shower," the blond said, handing Kari a bag of chips.

Kari nodded as Amy sat next to her. "So, how was your first day, Amy?"

"It was alright," she replied, turning her attention to her bag of chips.

Kari looked at her questionably. "What's wrong?"

Amy sighed before looking in the direction of the stairs. "Kari, is it bed if I like the classes I _don't_ have with Brena more than the ones that I do?"

Kari put a hand on Amy's shoulder, leading the blond to turn and look at her. Her face was pained and confused and all Kari could do was pat her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I don't know," Kari said softly.

The two ate their chips in silence.

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

The next day, the three had found themselves already used to the schedules. Granted, they still weren't quite sure where their classrooms were, but they got along alright. The hosts that shared classes with them were slightly curious about the new students, although they hardly paid much more attention to them than anyone else. Tamaki, however, was an exception.

"Hello, Princess! Will I be seeing you after school again?"

Kari smiled at the energetic blond, although she already felt herself being drained. "I'm not sure, Tamaki. My sisters don't seem too keen on the idea," she replied, thinking mostly of Brena.

Tamaki's face dropped and he looked personally insulted. "Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that." Suddenly, he lit up again and smiled at her. "Our doors will always be open to you, though!"

Kari laughed a bit and thanked him before he turned back around to talk to Kyouya. Kari sighed and rested her head in her hand.

_The club actually seems really nice,_ she thought to herself. _I wish Brena was more open to being social..._

As soon as lunch came around, Kari had her chance to ask the brunette. Brena became more focused on her food and Amy was no help either. Sure, Kari had asked before, and she didn't expect a straight answer, but something inside her had hoped. It had also led to disappointment. She sighed and went back to her food and occasionally chatted with Kiki, who had found her way to their table.

Brena ate her food angrily, wishing Kari hadn't even brought it up. She wasn't really sure why she refused to make friends with people herself, and she had given up thinking about the reason when Amy had asked before they even knew about Kari or her mother. That was a grim day for the two.

_Amy sat on the bed beside the one her sister was laying on. Both their cheeks were stained with tears; Amy's of sadness and Brena's of anger. Neither were having a good day._

_"Brena, why don't you like my friends?" Amy asked through her sniffling._

_Her sister just huffed and rolled onto her side so her back was to Amy. After a few seconds of silence, Brena answered her question- kind of. "Amy, you know those guys are no good, right?"_

_Amy looked up with a hurt expression. "What?"_

_"All they'll do is hurt you and leave you, then they'll have the nerve to laugh at you! You're better off without them, trust me!"_

_Amy sniffled again as fresh tears found their way down her cheeks. She nodded silently and laid down as well, her back to Brena's._

Amy stole a glance at her sister, knowing they were both thinking of the same day. That was when Brena was in 5th grade and Amy was in 4th. Once middle school came, Amy took a test that put her a grade ahead so she would be able to stay with Brena.

She wasn't sure why, but she was pretty sure her older sister had some kind of abandonment issue, but anytime it was brought up she was either yelled at or simply ignored. She knew better than to ask, and she just hoped that Kari's question didn't bring up any issues with her sister.

Brena never trusted Kari from the beginning, and even though it's been a few months, Kari still hasn't really gained much of Brena's trust. Amy trusted her, and both Amy and Brena knew that if you lived with someone you had to trust them a little, but that didn't do anything to help Brena and Kari's relationship.

Brena finished her food early and sat in silence while Amy finished hers. The two left sooner than the bell, and Brena led them back to their classroom. The brunette had brought along her bag and Amy's iPod.

"Yay!" Amy cheered as she took it from her sister. She sat at her desk with a large grin on her face while she scrolled through her songs.

Brena smiled at her softly before laying her head down. She had a feeling the rest of the day would be a big downer on her.

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

"What?"

"We want to go to the club," Kari repeated.

It had been a week since the first day of school, and in that time Kari and Amy had spent enough time alone to realize that they wanted to go back to the club. However, they knew Brena would be completely against it but didn't plan too well despite that.

"But, _why_?" Brena asked, anger and confusion evident on her face. "All they do there is make girls swoon over them, and _you_ have to pay for it! Why in the world would you want to do that?"

Amy was being rather quiet during all of this, and she didn't make any eye contact with Brena. This only pissed her off more.

"Look," Kari began. "If you don't want to go, you don't have to, but _we_ do. So, you can either find another club or just go home."

Brena narrowed her eyes at her step-sister and looked at Amy, who seemed to find the floor very interesting. "Fine! But get your own ride home, because I'm not coming back here just to pick you up!"

She stormed off with a look that would scare even Kasonada. Amy and Kari watched her stomp off before Kari put a hand on Amy's shoulder and led the way to music room three.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Amy asked, looking at Kari pleadingly.

Kari held back the urge to pull her into a tight hug right then and just smiled softly at her. "She'll get over it. Although, it may take a few days..."

Amy sighed lightly and nodded before spotting the room and putting on a smile. "We'll at least have fun, right?"

Kari smiled at her. "Of course we will!"

**:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:**

Brena slammed the door shut and kicked her shoes off before stomping up the stairs. Once she got to her room, she jumped onto her bed and rolled to her belly before screaming into her pillow.

She sat up with a heavy sigh and looked around the room. All three of them had their own room since they had different styles and organization skills, and Brena was never happier about that. It would make avoiding them easier.

On the drive home, she had decided that in order for the two to come to their senses, she could simply ignore them and eventually they'd get the hint. She didn't want Amy at the club and it was all Kari's fault that she was there now, instead of in her room doing schoolwork and listening to her upbeat music.

At that thought, she realized that the entire house was quiet. Kari's mom worked at a grocery store since she strongly argued with Brena and Amy's dad about staying at home.

"And be bored the entire day? I don't think so!" she would argue any time it was brought up.

That was probably one of the few things Brena liked about Kari's mom, that she was still independent even though she was married. Oh, but that was the big thing Brena _loathed_ about Kari's mom; she was married to her dad.

Brena walked downstairs to find that it was true, she was really alone. The maids came on Thursdays and it was a Monday, Kari's mom was working, and Amy and Kari were at that _stupid_ host club.

She got some cookies from the kitchen and ate them in her room after changing out of her uniform. She looked in Kari and Amy's room to find the latter's a pink mess and the former's as clean as could be. They were both void of any other sign of life, however.

She walked back to her room and laid on her bed, looking at her ceiling fan spinning around and becoming slightly hypnotized.

_They'll be home soon, right? Oh crap, what if they need a ride? What if they hate me for leaving them? No. Stop thinking like that, Brena. They left _you_ so _they_ should be the ones worrying about if you hate them. They'll come around if I just make it clear that I don't like them going to the club._

_Yeah, that's it! They probably won't even _think_ about going tomorrow! Everything will be back to normal soon._

She smiled to herself and slowly fell asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter. (:

Please let me know what you thought, yeah? ^^**  
><strong>


	5. Brena's Plan Part 1

**A/N:** Here's chapter 5 everyone! For those who are worried about my Bleach fanfics, I'm working on new chapters for both of them right now. The thing is, I have most inspiration for this one right now. Don't worry though, I'm gonna try and post new chapters of both fanfictions before Tuesday next week! (that's when School starts for me ^^;;)

to Draycos: [I always love your reviews :'D] I hope this update was up to standard haha Sometimes I update quickly, other times I don't ^^;;  
>I'm glad you think so! Brena won't be going to their side just yet, but eventually!<br>And a surprise awaits for Kari- you won't find out for another chapter or so though. :P

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ^^

* * *

><p>Much to Brena's dismay, the next few days were not any better. She began the silent treatment as soon as she saw her sisters the next day, and the car ride to school was very awkward. During the classes she had with Amy, she avoided any contact with her sister, which made the blond even more sad than she was that morning.<p>

Amy resorted to speaking with the twins and other classmates in an attempt to get things off her mind. Whenever anyone would bring up why her and her sister weren't talking, she would smile at them and say it was no big deal, just a minor dispute.

What Amy failed to realize is that Brena was only further angered by her saying that.

When lunch came around, Brena was nowhere to be seen, and Amy and Kari sat by themselves. That is, until some familiar faces popped up.

"Hello, beautiful princesses! How is the day treating you?"

Kari and Amy turned and smiled at Tamaki, who handed the former a rose. "Hello Tamaki, we're doing fine, how are you?" Kari answered with a smile and light blush.

"Today is fantastic!" he cheered over dramatically. "You know the tests we had? I aced them both!"

Kari and Amy laughed at his excitement and as Kari congratulated him, Amy was greeted by two other hosts.

"Where's your sister?" they asked.

Amy sighed, but put on a smile anyway. "I'm not sure, she's probably studying or something."

Hikaru and Kaoru shared a look before responding. "She doesn't seem like the type to study." Hikaru noted.

Amy shrugged and turned back to her food. Tamaki and Kari had finished a conversation and Tamaki went to go find Haruhi, so Kari was now in on the conversation. "Brena doesn't seem to want to be around us much lately. We're not _completely_ sure why."

The twins, having figured out that they didn't want to talk about it, nodded and walked off to harass Tamaki about Haruhi. Kari looked at Amy sympathetically before they went back to their meal in silence.

**:-:-:**

Meanwhile, in the hedge maze, Brena sat near the entrance for fear of getting lost, eating an apple. Angrily at that.

_I don't understand it! How could they just ignore my ignoring them?_

She swallowed the last bite and threw the apple core at the pathway in front of her. "Ugh!" Sighing, she pulled her knees to her body and laid her head on them.

_Everyone's leaving me again..._

**:-:-:**

Once the school day had ended, Brena left without even glancing at the two. Amy sighed as she watched her sister's retreating form before walking off in search of Kari. It didn't take long for her to find her though, seeing as Kari was already walking towards her.

"Hey, Amy, ready to go?"

Amy smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready. So, did you request Tamaki again?"

Kari smiled and shook her head. "No, he's always busy with hosts. I figured I'd request Kyouya- less competition," she told her with a laugh.

Amy giggled. "He probably wouldn't like that too much, he always seems so busy."

Kari rolled her eyes. "I can handle him. So, are you going after the twins again?"

Amy blushed lightly and smiled. "Well, yes. The 'forbidden love' thing is still really weird, but at the same time it's cute. Although, Honey is adorable too..." she looked up thoughtfully and tapped her finger against her chin.

Kari laughed at the display and patted her head. "Keep that kind of thing up, and you might be able to be a host yourself!"

"Kari, what are you saying?"

The laughter carried down the stairs and echoed softly through the empty halls.

**:-:-:**

With nothing else to do, Brena lay on the living room floor, staring at the ceiling fan.

_They're probably miserable without me, right? Maybe they're on their way home now! They are kinda dense, maybe they just don't see how much they need me. They _do_ need me right? Yes, of course they do! They need me..._

She sat up as the clock chimed, welcoming the new hour. "It's their loss, not mine," she reasoned. She nodded and confirmed her statement as she stood, walking in the direction of the stairs.

_A nice shower will be nice, and maybe looking up some videos will cheer me up. I wonder if there's another episode of that abridged series..._

**:-Meanwhile, at the host club-:**

Amy giggled at the twin's display of affection while the other girls at their table squealed with delight. All three were blushing, some heavier than the others.

Elsewhere in the room, Kari sat across from Kyouya with a cup of tea in front of her. "I don't think I've seen you without your laptop or a notebook in hand," she noted. "I hope I'm not taking up any time you need."

Kyouya smiled at her. "It's no problem at all, don't worry about it."

"What exactly do you do, if you don't mind my asking?"

"I mostly just organize the financial parts of the club. Tamaki likes to spend more than what we have on club activities."

"Ah," Kari took a sip of her tea and glanced over at Tamaki. There were girls surrounding him, as usual, and he seemed pretty happy. Her gaze drifted to Amy, the twins, and the two other girls who were with them. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and it looks as if she made friends with the other girls.

_This could be a good experience for Brena..._

"Your sister seems to be enjoying herself," Kyouya mentioned, looking in the same direction.

Kari smiled at her sister before turning to face Kyouya again. "Yeah, I'm glad. She usually... isn't too sociable."

Kari mentally sighed, almost slipping up. She didn't want to say anything bad about Brena, especially while the brunette wasn't there. Although, Amy did seem to be enjoying things more now that Brena was gone.

Kyouya made a mental note about the sisters that he would have to jot down later so as not to forget. Kari looked back to her sister with a small smile which deepened the host's curiosity. There were clearly a few details he seemed to be missing.

**:-When Thursday Comes Around-:**

It had been about three days of Brena's silence, and she had become so angry that she decided to take off to school without Amy or Kari. In order to avoid being late, they had to call their ride home to see if they could get a ride to school.

When the limousine arrived at their house, Kari and Amy joined Hikaru and Kaoru in their ride to Ouran.

"So-"

"Brena's gone again?"

Amy and Kari looked at each other and sighed. After the second ride home, they had been forced to tell the twins why they didn't have their own ride. So, the whole 'Brena situation' was now between Kari, Amy, and the Hitachiin twins.

"Yeah," Amy sighed.

"Does she really not like the host club that much?" Kaoru asked- although Kari couldn't tell the difference.

"It's not just the club," Kari explained. "She doesn't like the idea of Amy doing things without her, and she feels personally betrayed."

Amy thought about speaking up, but didn't want to go further into the subject. The twins left it at that for the time being, much to Amy and Kari's relief. The rest of the ride to school was a fairly quiet one.

**:-lol, I'm not going through the whole day, guys XD-:**

Brena arrived home, but this time it wasn't empty. The maids were there, cleaning the house as usual. The one who cleaned the downstairs was Sakura, Brena's favorite.

"Oh, Brena! How was your day?"

Brena shrugged. "Same, same."

"Where are Amy and Kari?" she asked, brushing off the front of her outfit and walking to the brunette.

"At some club at the school," she replied.

The two continued their conversation as Brena walked to the kitchen.

"And why aren't you with them?" Sakura asked.

Brena sighed and her shoulders dropped. "Can we not talk about my sisters and the club?"

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Oh, so that's how it is."

"How what is?" Brena asked, taking a box of crackers out of a pantry.

"Are you being anti-social again?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Brena replied.

Sakura sighed, dropping her arms, and walked over to Brena. She put her hands on her shoulders and leaned down so that she was eye-level with her. "Brena, you can't just reply on Amy and Kari to be there for you all the time."

Sakura walked over to the dining table to pick up the paper that was sitting in Brena's father's spot and brought it back to the brunette. "Now, hear me out, okay?"

Brena raised an eyebrow questionably at the maid before nodding slowly.

Sakura smiled. "Well, if your sisters are going to whatever club they go to after school, you can find something else to do! Who knows, maybe you'll make some new friends!" As she stated this, she handed the paper to Brena and pointed at an ad.

"Plus, you'll make money you can keep all to yourself," Sakura winked and went back to the living room to clean the windows.

"Sakura," Brena called. "How did you know this ad was in the paper?"

Sakura froze for a second before laughing suspiciously. "Oh, just a lucky guess! No reason!"

Brena smiled and shook her head as she placed the paper back on the table. She walked beck to the stairs while eating her crackers and picking up her bag along the way. "I'll think about it Sakura, thanks!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Oh hoho! Brena, what exactly are you thinking about?  
>Seems to be something that's made her happy. owo<p> 


	6. Brena's Plan Part 2

**A/N:** Here's chapter 6! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; we're focusing less on Brena for now, although the Chapter is still going to be named after Brena's situation or whatever :P

**Draycos:** It's almost like you know me! ;P We'll have to find out though- but I bet one of those pairings can be confirmed in this chapter. And Brena's job will mostly just be something that happens, and I probably wont focus on the job itself for more than a chapter. :) As always, thanks for your review!

Yes, I've named the chapters now! :D

Anyways, please enjoy (:

* * *

><p>As the last of the girls left the club, Amy and Kari stood by the door waiting for Hikaru and Kaoru. They had once again successfully sent Tamaki to his sulking corner, to which the two simply rolled their eyes.<p>

Amy sighed. "I wish Brena were here, she'd get a kick out of this."

Kari put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "She'll come around eventually."

The twins suddenly appeared before the two with mischievous grins. "We've been thinking-" Kaoru began.

"About how to get Brena in the club," Hikaru finished. They were still grinning while Kari and Amy exchanged questionable looks.

"And?" Amy asked, suddenly finding herself interested.

"Well, it involves a little bit of foul play," Hikaru began.

"But it's bound to work," Kaoru added.

"Just tell us!" Kari urged. The twins smiled, moving between the two and placing their arms around them. As they led them to the front of the school, they spoke in hushed tones.

:-:-:

"We'll call you when we've made our choice," Mikai told Brena.

She smiled and bowed politely, saying "Thank you," before walking out of the building. The job was different from what most teenagers would do, but it paid and would hopefully take her mind off of her sisters and the Host Club.

Besides, seeing that the kind of occupation she'd be looking into after her education was music related, it would be good to have the job in her background. Of course, she'd have to be hired first...

She shrugged off the beginnings of pessimistic thoughts and smiled quite happily for the first time since Amy decided to join Kari at that club. She had a chance, and that was good enough for her.

She got back to her car and began making her way back home. As she neared her street, a black limo passed in front of her at a stop sign. She took this as a sign that Kari and Amy would be there once she was back home, since there were hardly any limos around their neighborhood, and she discovered they were getting rides from someone at the Host Club.

She frowned slightly at the memory before pulling into the driveway. She sat with the car off, slowly heating with the late-summer temperature, staring at the house.

It wouldn't be long before she had to start acknowledging their existence once again, but you'd think they'd care at _least_ a little bit about how they made her feel. Her frown evolved into a scowl and she finally got out of the car and walked up to the front door.

She wouldn't have to talk to them _that_ soon.

**:-:-:**

That night, the dinner table was filled with excited chatter from Amy, Kari, and her mom. Brena and her father remained silent, however still listening in.

"And then he took his hand and said 'Kaoru, you know I didn't mean it like that!'" The girls giggled at Amy's story, but before Kari could share a story of her own, their dad spoke up.

"What kind of club did you say this was?"

Amy looked at her dad with wide, innocent eyes. "It's a club where all the rich boys and girls go to have fun, daddy!"

"What _kind_ of fun?" He questioned. Although Amy's puppy dog eyes and use of 'daddy' would wear him down eventually, he had steadily grown a bit more immune to Amy's powers.

"It's just innocent fun, daddy," she continued with a smile. "It's like theatre, really."

"Hmmm..." His eyes looked down at his food, indicating that he was thinking about what to say on the subject. He gave up and went back to simply eating while the three continued to talk about the Host Club.

Brena finished her vegetables off and stood up from the table, excusing herself.

_The Host Club is so great, yeah_ _I'm sure!_ she thought as she stormed up the stairs. She got to her room and flopped onto her bed after closing the door. _It's just a stupid club with stupid guys and stupid girls. Amy shouldn't be one of those stupid girls!_

She grumbled to herself and rolled onto her stomach, her head looking out her window. Only then did she realize how tired the day and it's events had made her. So, without closing the blinds or setting her alarm, the brunette slowly drifted off to sleep.

**:-:-:**

The next morning, Amy had awoken to the sound of her name being yelled by the same person shaking her.

"Come on, they'll be here any minute!" Kari prompted.

Amy sat up with a start, picking up her phone to read the time.

"But, Brena's alarm usually wakes me up!" she whined.

Kari shrugged as she looked into Brena's room from the hall. "She's gone, must've woken up without her alarm."

"Ugh!" Amy groaned, jumping out of bed and running to her closet door, where the school dress lay in a heap on the floor.

Meanwhile, Kari ran downstairs to catch up on the breakfast she was making. Breakfast tacos were something she learned how to make from Brena, and had almost gotten to the brunette's level of deliciousness. She guessed that the rushed morning would make the tacos tasted rushed, too.

Amy came into the kitchen with a bag hanging off her arm in time to be pushed out by Kari holding two tacos in her hands. She brightened up and took one from her, walking the rest of the way to the door.

"They're good, Kari," the blond told her with a smile that Kari couldn't help but return.

"Oh, just in time!" Kari noted, watching a black limousine pull up by the curb. "Let's get going!"

She stepped off the steps while taking a bite of her taco, and rushed to the limo. Amy followed suit after making sure the door was locked. They entered the limo to find two identical grins aimed at them.

"Busy morning?" they question.

Amy shook her head. "We just woke up late."

Kari snorted. "_You're_ the one who woke up late!"

"Hey!" Amy defended, "Brena's alarm didn't go off! That's what wakes me up."

"Did she sleep in late, too?" Kaoru asked.

The sisters shrugged. "She wasn't there when I checked," Kari told them. "My guess is that she just woke up on her own."

"I guess we'll find out in homeroom," Hikaru said, glancing to his brother.

Suddenly Amy found herself feeling a hint of worry for her older sister.

**:-:-:**

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_ Brena ran through the halls with her hair and bag trailing closely behind. Being almost 10 minutes late to her first period class helped fuel her legs.

She nearly slammed the door open in her hurry, causing all eyes to land on her- even the drowsy ones. She offered a half-smile as she walked to the teacher with a piece of paper in hand.

The class watched the exchange of words, however were unable to hear most of Brena's words. Amy watched her sister with pain evident in her eyes, however Brena wasn't looking at her, and would probably avoid her gaze when she took her seat next to the blond as well.

Homeroom was filled with nothing but growing worry from Amy, and she ended up dragging Hikaru and Kaoru down with her. It was obvious she was really worried for her sister, who told no one where she was, although as the three mentioned watched the brunette take her seat, it was obvious Brena thought nothing about Amy's feelings.

This wound up hurting Amy more, although she forced herself not to think too much about it, and the twins glared at the unknowingly guilty sister with obvious anger. The rest of class went on as normal.

**:-:-:**

By the end of the day, Amy had gotten over the initial shock and hurt of her sister not being there, and had prevented Kari from going to have a word with her.

"How are you okay with that? I'd be pissed!" Kari exclaimed.

Amy tried to calm her down. "It's alright, Kari, I'm sure she had a good reason. The teacher excused her, so it was probably important."

Kari sighed angrily. "Fine, but I'm still not happy with her. Anyways, we're supposed to go find her now, right? For Hikaru and Kaoru's plan?"

Amy smiled. "Right!"

Kari smirked and began walking in the direction to the parking lot. "I'll see you in the club room then, Amy!"

"Okay!" Amy giggled as she ran up the stairs towards Music Room 3.

"Okay, Brena," Kari mumbled to herself. "Just play nice, and everything will be okay." The black haired sister found it easy to put on a distressed face as she hurried down to the parking lot.

**:-:-:**

Kari soon arrived in the parking lot, searching for the familiar car. "Brena! Brena!" she cried with a worried tone. The plan was to make Brena worry about Amy enough to run up to the club room, where she would find everything was fine. Before she'd be able to leave, the twins would get a hold of her and everyone would make sure she couldn't leave.

Kari still wasn't sure it would work.

"Brena!" she tried again, running between the rows of parked cars. "Brena, it's about Amy! Brena!"

She slowed down once she had gone past the first couple of roads. There was no sign of Brena or her car anywhere, which meant Brena had already left. So, Kari ran back up to the club room, where they would try plan B.

She re-entered the building and hurried up the stairs, still unsure of why she was going along with this.

_Of course,_ she remembered. _For Amy. Brena had better not ruin this._

She arrived in record time, and when she opened the doors, she was greeted with the set up for Brena.

The twins had Amy in a death grip while Honey was force-feeding her her least favorite cake, and Tamaki was shouting incoherent things. At least, that's what it would've looked like to Brena. In actuality, the twins were simply hugging Amy, and Honey was convincing her to try a piece of cheesecake. Tamaki was actually shouting incoherent things.

"Where's Brena?" the twins plus Amy asked when they spotted Kari.

"She already left," Kari told them with a sigh. "How'd you guys manage to get the other customers out?" she asked as she walked toward her bag. She stole a glance at Kyouya on the way.

Now free from the tight hug she was held in, Amy joined Kari by the couch. "Tamaki told them what we wanted to do, but said it in a way that made it sound as if we were all going off to war and may never come back or something! Haruhi walked them out, but he should be back soon." The blond had told her sister all of this with a smile.

Kari pulled out her phone and began to dial Brena's number. "Depending on how Brena acts, we might as well go off to war," she mumbled, holding the phone to her ear.

There were two rings before the connection had ended, and Kari held the phone away to look at it in confusion.

"What happened?" Amy asked with a worried expression on her face. She was now sitting on the couch between the twins and in front of Kari.

The dark haired sister shrugged. "I think she ended the call."

"Well that doesn't go with our plan," Hikaru pointed out, looking over at Kaoru. Amy followed his gaze, giving Kaoru a pleading look with her eyes. Kaoru looked at Kari and suggested she try again.

She tried once more, but the call was ended once again. She sighed in frustration and sat on a chair near the full couch. She opened her mouth to suggest something, but her phone sounded, signaling that she had got a message.

"It's from Brena," she informed them as she opened the message. As she read it, her face dropped and there were traces of anger that could be seen.

"What's it say?" Kaoru asked.

"She says she's busy and can't talk to me and that I need to stop calling her," Kari told them.

"She's so busy she can't even answer her sister's calls?" Hikaru asked judgmentally.

Kari glanced at Amy, who's whole mood seemed to have fallen. She had complete faith in the twins' plan, and to have it end with Brena not caring, once again, must have been a hard blow for her.

"Maybe we should go home," Kari suggested, standing up. "It was a good plan, but I guess today wasn't the day to try it out."

Amy forced a small smile. "Kari's right," she began, also standing. "Maybe tomorrow will work out better."

The rest of the host club looked at the two sisters, who were obviously trying to be optimistic about the whole thing. There was a mixture of pity, anger, and for some, confidence in the sisters for how they handled the situation.

Amy found herself being hugged very tightly by Tamaki as soon as she began to walk to the door. "You're absolutely right, Amy! Tomorrow is another day and I'm sure Brena will answer her phone then!"

Amy's smile turned into a real one at Tamaki's antics, and she even managed a giggle when Haruhi walked in just seconds later and he had to pull Tamaki off of her.

"Thank you all for what you've been doing for us," Amy told them with a smile. "It means more than you know."

Tamaki had attacked her once more with his kind words and tight hugs. After they had pulled him off of her again, the twins and the sisters left. They walked down to where the Hitachiin's limo would be in an unfamiliar silence.

Usually one of the four would have started some conversation, but they were each trying to deal with their own emotions. Kari and Hikaru were mostly upset with Brena for not having time for Amy once again, while Amy was simply worried for her sister and Kaoru was worried for Amy. Even though she smiled through it, it was obvious that Brena's constant absence was affecting her, and Kaoru guessed they had been as close as he and Hikaru were.

_I wonder if any of them think the Host Club is at fault,_ he thought. _It does seem that Brena simply doesn't like the club, but her sisters do..._

He thought about that more in the limo and almost didn't notice when they arrived at the sisters' house. They each said goodbye and the limo waited until the girls had gotten inside to drive off. That was when Hikaru exploded.

"Can you believe that? How could she not have time for her own sister?"

Well, at least he had the courtesy not to say what he said in front of Amy. There was no doubt that Kari was feeling the same way as Hikaru, though. "Hikaru, we're still not sure what the whole situation is," Kaoru tried to reason.

"I know what the situation is! Brena's ignoring her sisters all because she doesn't agree with something they're doing, and it's affecting Amy! I know you can see it, even Tamaki can!"

Kaoru put a hand on his brother's shoulder to try and calm him. "I know that Brena isn't acting in a way you or I would, but we still don't know what's going on with _her_." he pointed out. Hikaru crossed his arms and sat back with a small pout.

"I still don't like this."

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh noes! Why is Brena ignoring them so much? D:  
>Find out in the next chapter, where I tell it from Brena's point of view!<p> 


	7. Brena's Job Part 1

**A/N:** Here's another chapter brought to you by ME! :D I'm sure I've said it before but it doesn't help to say it again. _In now way do I claim to own Ouran or the characters in it. I own my characters and my plot bunnies only. Thank you._

**Draycos:** I swear you can like read my mind or something XD YOUR REVIEWS MOTIVATE ME. No, seriously, I want to post a new chapter right after I read your reviews. :'D I hope you enjoy this chapter!

And I hope the rest of you do as well! (:

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><p>Brena woke up to the sound of her phone going off. Quickly, so as not to wake her sisters, she answered it while glancing at her clock. 6:30AM<p>

"Hello?" she answered tiredly, now sitting and in the process of waking up.

_"Brena, it's Mikai. I'd like you to come by this morning so we can work out a schedule."_

"Um, alright," she answered groggily, standing and walking to her closet. She paused mid-step. "Wait, you mean I got the job?"

_"So long as the schedule works out,"_ Mikai told her. Brena could almost hear the smile in her voice.

She smiled and began sifting through her closet, searching for an outfit to wear. "Okay, sure. What time do you want me there?"

_"Be here around 8:30. I'll write you a note for school."_

Brena's smile grew and she pulled a shirt off the rack. "Okay I'll be there."

_"Great, see ya then!"_ Mikai waited for Brena's response and hung up, leaving the brunette to herself.

She picked out a pair of jeans to go with her shirt and laid them on the bed before going to shower. When she got out, she put her clothes on and combed through her hair, checking the time on the clock.

_7:14, I still have lots of time..._

In the time she had to spare, she put on a bit of make up, got her uniform that she almost forgot, and left the house for breakfast. She noticed that there were only two cars in the driveway- hers and Kari's mom's- meaning that her dad had already left.

_He works a lot,_ she thought as she got into her car. _I wonder if _I'll_ be working that much..._

She drove off for breakfast with only an hour to spare.

**:-:-:**

Mikai unlocked the entrance to her restaurant and turned on the lights, illuminating the dark purple walls and dark red floor. She walked over to the bar and took a quick inventory before going to the back room and pulling out a schedule. On it were names of the employees and their times, and two other names with blank time slots.

She set it on a table and pulled out three chairs before going back to the back room and finding a snack.

In a few minutes time, Brena walked through the door, chewing the last bits of her breakfast.

_8:26, just in time,_ she noted, looking at the clock on the wall. _I'm glad my car's time is ahead of the clock here..._

She noticed the table Mikai had set and took a seat, stealing a glimpse at the paper. She caught her name at the bottom, and someone else's name below hers. "Ayaka?" she whispered to herself. "Who's that?"

"Brena? You're here early," Mikai stated as she walked in.

Brena looked up and smiled shyly. "Yeah, my car's time runs a bit quick." _But I'm not _that_ early am I?_

Mikai pulled out a chair and sat down. "At least you're here," she commented with a smile. "I was going to have you and Ayaka work out schedules together, since you're both too young to work here past 10pm, but I think we can manage without her." Mikai offered a smile.

"Alright, so what hours are open?" Brena asked.

"Well, you could work from when you get out of school to 9:30, that is if you want to work that many hours."

"Are weekends open?"

Mikai raised her eyebrows. "There's a few hours open for Sunday," she replied after checking the schedule.

Brena looked up in thought before nodding. "Okay, could I work from 5 to 7 on weekdays, and then a few hours on Sunday?"

"You most certainly can. The weekend hours are noon to 2 and 4 to 6," Mikai informed her with a smile.

"I'll take the noon to 2," Brena said, remembering that she'd want time to do homework.

Mikai jotted something down and looked at Brena. "I'm not going to make you work every day, because that's against me, so which days would be best for you?"

Brena paused, unsure of how to answer. She ended up shrugging. "The whole week's good for me, really... I think it'd be up to Ayaka."

Mikai gave an understanding half smile and wrote down something else. "Okay Brena. I'd like you to come back after school so Ayaka and you can figure things out, just in case she feels the same." Brena agreed as Mikai got a slip of paper and wrote something on it. "Here's my written excuse for you. My phone number's on there so your teacher can call me if there's any questions or doubt, alright?"

Brena smiled and took it. "Alright, thanks!"

Mikai said goodbye as Brena left and prepared things for Ayaka. Brena got in her car and started off to the school in a slight hurry after seeing the time.

_It's already 9? I'll miss all of first period if I don't hurry!_

Once she arrived at the school, she quickly got out of her car with her bag and note and ran halfway to the entrance before she realized she hadn't put on her uniform yet. "Damnit!"

She ran back to the car and decided to dress herself in the back seat to save time and having to carry her clothes around all day. She prayed that no teacher or other student had to get to their car during that time.

Finally, she was running through the halls to her first class. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_ She skidded to a stop at the entrance and smoothed out her hair, entering with a shy smile.

She handed the teacher the note and explained most of what had happened. Once he had heard enough of the excuses, he took the note and set it on his desk while Brena took her seat, sighing as she sat down.

A faint smile was still on her lips as she thought of her new after school activity. Of course, she wouldn't be going there as often as her sisters went to the Host Club... she pushed the thoughts aside again, realizing she should probably focus on class and catch up on what she missed.

**:-:-:**

After school, Brena rushed out of the classroom in a hurry to get back to the newly opened restaurant, Mai-Yo. She drove in the school uniform and decided she'd change once she got there- the parking lot would get too crowded fo her to repeat that morning's activity.

The traffic wasn't too bad, and there were a few good places at the front of the restaurant that took it's place on a strip of street. However, the inside was filled with people who decided on a late lunch or early dinner. Mikai spotted the bright yellow dress instantly.

"Brena!" she called from behind the bar. She left the only other person working there and led Brena to the back room which was considerably less noisy, but just as crowded. There was the unoriginal desk and two chair placement, and the desk was fairly organized for the amount of papers on it, however the walls were covered by posters, stacked chairs, colored lights, cardboard boxes, wires, and speakers.

Brena thought about saying something, but settled for sitting in a chair with her change of clothes on her lap.

"We're still waiting for Ayaka to show up, but she should be here soon," Mikai said as she took a seat behind the desk and searched for some papers.

Brena fingered the clothes that sat in her lap wanting desperately to get out of the horrid uniform. "If we're still waiting, do you mind if I go change?"

Mikai looked at her dress then back up to her eyes with a smile. "You didn't have to ask." She pointed the direction to the bathroom and Brena left hurriedly.

When she returned, the seat she had left was occupied by a girl with black hair reaching to the bottom of her shoulder blades. When Brena entered and got the attention of both Mikai and who she guessed was Ayaka, she noticed that she wore noticeable make up, but it didn't look bad.

"Ayaka, I assume?" Brena greeted without missing a beat. She put her folded dress in the chair as Ayaka nodded.

"And you must be Brena."

The brunette put her and out and smiled at her, "Nice to meet ya."

Ayaka shook her hand curtly with a small nod. "You as well."

Brena sat, putting the dress in her lap, while sideways glancing at her new coworker. She doubted they would get along easily.

"Well, now that we're both here, we can work out the scheduling holes," Mikai began. She looked at Brena after looking at the paper before her. "Ayaka said she would be able to work the full 5-10 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but she's willing to cut down some time for you to work as well."

_Of course, more days, longer times, more pay._ Brena thought before catching herself on the money thing. She wasn't in _need_ of money, but it was still nice to know you had it.

"Uh alright. I'll only be able to work 5-7 on weekdays. But I'm fine with working every day," Brena told her.

"And I'm sure you could both work some of the same days," Mikai said looking to Ayaka.

The dark haired teen nodded. "I wouldn't mind working a the same times."

"Awesome! Well, I'll have Brena down for 5-7 on Mondays and Wednesdays to Fridays." She turned to look at Brena with a knowing smile. "I refuse to make anyone work for a full week, no matter how insistent they are that they can do it. You never know what might come up."

Mikai smiled at the two and looked at the paper before writing things down. She then stood and walked to the door. "Now, let's go meet the staff shall we?" she asked, prompting them to follow her.

They were led to the bar first, since it was closest. It was empty aside form the man leaning against it from behind. He smiled and gave a two-finger wave.

"This is Shiro," Mikai told them, gesturing to him. "Just because you're not old enough to work behind the bar doesn't mean you don't need to know him. He's the only one I allow to work full weeks because he's my friend's brother and was desperate for a job when I hired him."

"Hey!" he protested. His voice was surprisingly high for his stern-looking face. "I wasn't that desperate! Anyway, it's nice to meet the newbies," he said with a nod and smile.

"This is Brena and Ayaka. Be nice to them, Shiro," she warned as she turned away, walking through the tables that were less crowded than when Brena came in. The entered the kitchen, where there were two chefs working and four waiters and waitresses sitting at a table.

"Aren't you four supposed to be working?" Mikai asked the four. They looked up and smiled guiltily as Mikai and the two behind her approached.

"We just checked all the tables out there," one of the waiters informed her.

"Yeah," one of the waitresses added. "You don't want them to think we're creepy do you?"

Mikai rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Alright. Anyway, this is Brena and Ayaka," she told them, moving to the side so the two were in perfect view. "They'll be working here starting tomorrow."

Brena couldn't help but smile at the news, knowing she wouldn't have to waste her time at home for days before she could start. Ayaka, however, didn't seem quite as happy about the news.

"Tomorrow?" she asked, her voice showing some human emotion for the first time since Brena had met her.

Mikai raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "Is there a problem?"

Ayaka paused. "Er, well no. I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon."

"Oh, well yes it is. It'll be your first day though, so if you have to be a bit late, I'll accept it." When Ayaka nodded, Mikai continued. "These four are Kai, Naomi, Hiroto, and Takumi. At least one of them will be working your shifts with you," Mikai told them.

"Except for me," Hiroto said with a large grin.

Mikai breathed in a sigh. "Right," she said, turning to Brena. "I know you were wanting a position like Hiroto's, but that position only opens once every four weeks."

Brena nodded, understanding what she meant, but she was sure Ayaka had no clue what she was talking about. "Hiroto is one of our performers/entertainers," Mikai informed her. Ayaka nodded slowly in understanding, her eyes showing that she was thinking about something.

"Don't worry though," Hiroto said to Brena. "When it opens again it won't become a competition." He turned back to his group of friends. "That is, if none of you decide to challenge her."

The other three shook their heads or put their hands up. Each one saying 'no' in some way. Brena's mouth grew into a small smile she found hard to keep down. She couldn't wait to try for it.

Being on stage meant a lot to Brena, because it was probably the one place where she could take any judgment people might throw at her, but where few people did. Those who didn't know much about singing or music were happy so long as the performance was good, and those who did could recognize Brena's talent and still tell her things she could work on. In her eyes is was the best thing in the world, and nothing could replace it.

"I can wait," she said with a smile. As Mikai led them to meet the chefs, Hiroto winked. Brena didn't think it was much else since her friends in America would sometimes wink when they didn't have anything else to say. Although, it still felt out of place for Brena.

"These are our cooks," Mikai said, gaining the cooks attention.

"Hey," the said, greeting with a short wave.

"You'll be interacting with them when you place your orders, pick them up, and answer questions about them. This is Kenta," she said, and Kenta waved. "And this is Kenza." He waved as well. "They're brothers," she added with a smile.

"These two are Ayaka and Brena," Mikai told them. "You'll see them around dinner time tomorrow." The brothers nodded and Mikai smiled at the girls before leading them back to her office.

Once they got there, she explained how things would work as soon as they walked in. The two plus whoever was working with them at the time would alternate being the host and seating the guest while the others would be taking and placing orders. At the end of the day they'd take off their uniform and leave; there wouldn't be clocking out, only clocking in.

"I'll know when you're here because your uniforms will be kept here." She opened the tall cabinet that was against the wall behind her desk, revealing uniforms on hangers. "Every week end you'll take them home to wash, and if you get any food or stains on them, you'll take them home that night."

She closed the cabinets and sat down. "That's all I can think of for right now," she said. "You're free to go." She smiled at them, and Ayaka left after saying goodbye.

"So, when will the position open up again?" Brena asked as she stood, dress in hand.

"After two weeks," Mikai told her.

"Alright, thanks!" Brena smiled and left, taking one last look around the restaurant before she left.

_So two weeks since the position last opened... It's probably a good thing. If I don't like working there I'd hate to have to stay for a month._

Her smile stayed as she started her car and drove back home. And it was still there until she walked inside and was ambushed by an angry and worried sister.

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><p><strong>AN:** And that was the day in Brena's point of view! She's not all bad, guys, just a bit... selfish.

If you can review, please do! :'D Until next time, I hope you all have good days and nights~!


	8. Brena's Job Part 2

**A/N: **Guess who was sick today! Me! As a result from my sickness, I stayed home and wrote all of you this!

**Please check my profile for updates on all three of my stories. (:**

To Draycos: Hopefully this chapter will clear some things up. As always thank you for your review! (:**  
><strong>

**Enjoy the next chapter in this fanfiction of an anime and manga that I do _not_ claim to own in any way, shape, or form! :D**

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><p>It had been almost a week since Brena came home after her first day of work. Right as she came in the door, Kari's mom was serving dinner, and that's how it was for most of the week. Brena was happy she didn't have to work Tuesdays, giving her time to rest, and the Sunday that she worked was pretty slow.<p>

Amy, however, wasn't too happy to hear that her sister found a job and didn't even tell her. Kari was also upset, but for different reasons. And when the twins found out, of course they were upset, because that meant they wouldn't be able to get Brena into the club. Unless it was on a Tuesday, of course.

"Why are you so insistent on getting your sister here?" Kyouya asked. It was after school on Wednesday, and Kari requested Kyouya once again. He caught onto a conversation between the twins and Amy and let his curiosity get the best of him.

Kari thought about an answer to give him, but nothing came easily. "She's always been trying to be in control of Amy, and they always have to do something together. She obviously doesn't approve of the club, and Amy just wants her to be more open minded about people."

"Sounds like a pair of twins I know," he said mostly to himself. "Don't you think that Brena having a job does just what Amy wants?"

Kari straightened up a bit once she realized the truth of his words. "I guess it does..." she replied. Despite knowing that Brena was being less clingy to Amy, Kari still wasn't happy.

"So why do you insist on forcing her to be here?" Kyouya asked. He saw her thinking about it and smirked. He wasn't exactly sure why he smirked, but it was probably because he was right (again), or because he assumed Brena would be bad for business after meeting her once.

He frowned then and glanced at his computer, which he set aside for his hosting duties. He still hadn't figured out much about their family, besides their ethnic backgrounds and the fact that their father owned some business. His sources on that subject were unreliable, and he'd have to fix that soon.

"It's mostly for Amy," Kari said, taking Kyouya's thoughts off of his past time. "She's been worried about Brena since she never talks to us anymore, and I guess she just wants to make sure she's happy." Kari shrugged at the end and took a drink of her tea. Maybe she had been wrong for trying to get Brena into the club.

Kyouya was about to say something in response, but before the words could form, an idea formed instead. He glanced at his computer again and resisted checking his watch for the time.

"You know," Kari began. "It won't hurt my feelings if you need to check something on your laptop." She smiled at him when she saw a flicker of surpise come across his face. It was barely noticeable, but just like the quick glances he stole to his laptop, Kari became accustomed to watching for such rare moments.

"It can wait," he responded with a smirk. "Right now, you're more important." He couldn't abandon his hosting duties for a bit of research, now could he?

**:-Meanwhile-:**

Brena picked up her orders from the kitchen and brought them to table four. She had three other orders to take, and Kai had decided to sit a couple in her section. Brena inwardly sighed and walked quickly back into the kitchen to pick up the other orders.

She brought two orders to the proper tables before taking the couple's orders. Putting on a smile, she asked for their drinks, and took their food orders.

After placing the order, bringing them their drinks, and bringing the last order to the proper table, she sat down at the break table for a short break.

Just then, Ayaka came in to pick up food for one of her tables. "You have more customers," Ayaka told her.

Brena sighed out loud this time and stood. "Kai just loves sitting people in my section. I swear you're her favorite," Brena told her as she left.

She walked to the party of three and noticed the mess she'd have to clean up at table two. It took a lot for that family to clam their child down. She placed their order and brought out food for the couple before cleaning up the table.

_Just one more week, Brena. Then you can try for Hiroto's job. Just one more week._ This thought kept her going plenty of times when the rush became almost too much for her. That and when Hiroto actually came out to perform.

It was usually at 6 when he would show up on the stage. It was hidden by dark red curtains before that time, and Brena didn't even notice it until Hiroto first performed while she was working.

He had one of the best voices Brena had heard, and she had heard her fair share of great voices. He would usually sing songs that had a lighter mood when he first came out, but Naomi once told Brena that once 8 o'clock came around, he'd sing more of a variety of music and that's what really interested Brena.

**:-:-:**

The twins had their driver stop by an ice cream shop on the way back since a discussion about said food had them craving it. They ate outside where the sun shone bright and kept the air warm.

"This is delicious!" Amy said with a smile.

"Yeah, Haruhi brought us here once," Kaoru told her.

"We hardly eat ice cream anywhere else," Hikaru added with a laugh.

Kari smiled, yet said nothing. Her thoughts wondered back to her conversation with Kyouya before they left. _Maybe it _is_ better for Brena. Amy too,_ she thought.

"You okay Kari?" Amy asked. Kari looked up from her ice cream at her sister.

She smiled and waved it off. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about... stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Hikaru asked curiously.

"It's nothing, really," she insisted, going back to eating her ice cream.

Kaoru and Hikaru shared mischievous smiles. "_I_ think she's thinking about Kyouya," Kaoru said.

Amy giggled and nodded. "Yeah, she has been requesting him often."

"What were you two talking about?"

At this point, the three were leaning in close to Kari, who had a small blush on her face. "It's not like that!" she defended, causing them to back off with broad smiles. "We were talking about Brena is all."

Amy's smile faded into a look of curiosity. "Oh? What'd he say?"

Kari looked at her and put on a small, sympathetic smile. "He thinks that her having a job is good for all of us. You know how you two were prectically inseparable, but now Brena's doing her own thing, and you're doing your own thing and... well, he thinks it's better for you both. I agree with him, actually."

There was a silence at the table and Kari and the twins watched Amy for her reaction. She stared down at her ice cream, which was almost gone and thought about what she was just told.

She looked up at Kari and smiled. "I think he's right, too."

Kari smiled and the four finished their ice cream over an argument over which flavor was best.

**:-:-:**

That night, after dinner, Brena told her dad that she was going to check something out at work, and that she'd be home at about 10:00. After a bit more detail, he finally let her go.

The atmosphere of Mai-Yo after 8pm was very different than the atmosphere before. Brena realized this quickly as soon as she walked through the door. Most of the lights were off, save the lamps that hung down from the ceiling. The bar opened at 5, but wasn't quite as illuminated then as it was when Brena arrived.

The restaurant was more crowded than Brena had ever seen it, and she noticed that most of them were young adults. Everyone had their eyes focused on Hiroto, who was currently taking a drink of water. He smiled at the audience before him and gave a quick introduction to the next song.

"Enjoying the show?"

Brena turned and looked at Naomi, who was currently taking the role of hostess. Brena smiled a small smile and looked back at Hiroto. "Yeah, I guess I am. He's got a great voice."

Naomi smiled and leaned on her podium. "He really does. But don't go getting any ideas, he's mine."

Brena looked at the hostess in shock. "What do you mean?"

"Relax, girl I'm only messing with ya! But seriously, just don't."

Brena was confused, to say the least. She looked back to the stage and shook her head. "You're crazy, Naomi. But I'm pretty sure that's how you're gonna win him over."

Naomi laughed at her statement. "The funny thing is, that _is_ how I won him over. He said so himself." At Brena's expression Nomi smiled and said "We're already dating, sweetie."

Brena laughed at the situation, but managed to play it off. "I knew it."

The two shared a laugh and Naomi sat Brena down at a table for two that was missing a chair. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I actually just had dinner, I was just interested in how this place looked after I left."

Naomi smiled and followed Brena's gaze to the stage. "I'm sure you'll love it." More people entered at that time, and Noami quickly became focused again. "I can't wait to see you audition!" was the last thing Naomi said to Brena that evening.

So, Brena sat and watched Hiroto take in his current fame and popularity with everyone that sat in front of him and couldn't help but smile. She couldn't wait for her chance to be on the stage doing just what he was doing.


	9. The Cake Thief

**A/N:** Hey guys! Well, I'm not back for good, but I figured you all deserved another chapter. As usual, though, I'm not too good with endings, so this one ends pretty suddenly. Don't worry though, there's no cliffhangers XP

Draycos! I hope to hear from you soon (:

Without anymore interruptions, please enjoy this chapter!

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><p>The next day started as usual, and homeroom was just as interesting as it usually was.<p>

Kaoru was speaking with Amy about the latest episode of a show they were both interested in while Hikaru socialized with a few of the Host Club's customers. Occasionally, Kaoru would catch something Hikaru would say and join in, much to the girls' delight.

In the same homeroom, a few other girls were by Brena's desk, which caused Amy's curiosity to rise.

"So you've met Hiroto?" one of them asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean I work with him- kinda," Brena replied with a shrug. Amy and the twins looked at the group, interested in what Brena would say about her job. Who exactly was Hiroto?

"Oh, that's so cool!"

"He's so cute!"

"Not to mention his voice!"

Brena laughed lightly and the three caught a glimpse of an amused smile. "I hear he's already dating Naomi," Brena told them.

"Oh, no way!" a few replied in disappointment.

"Yeah, she told me herself. My guess is she wanted to make sure I wouldn't try anything when I decide to go for the same position he has."

The bell rang right after that, and she stood, along with the girls that were around her. They continued their conversation and Amy, Hikaru, and Kaoru watched as they left.

As they walked out, Hikaru glared in the direction of Brena.

"She's socializing," Amy said as they walked to their next class. "Maybe Kyouya _was_ right."

The twins put their arms around her and smiled. "That's a good thing, right?" Hikaru asked- despite how angry he was with the brunette.

"Yeah, but she still hasn't talked to Kari or me," Amy told him.

"She's probably just busy," Kaoru told her. "Maybe you should try talking to her."

Amy thought about it before she nodded and smiled back at him. "You're right. I'll talk to her tonight."

**:-:-:**

Later on, in 5th period, Kari, Kyouya, and the others in their advanced science class were greeted first thing with a new project. The class was smaller than the others, so instead of small groups, they were put into pairs.

"Now, I realize you've gotten used to your partner since you've been sitting together since the first day of school, but for this project, I'd like you to work with someone new," their teacher told them while passing out the rubric and expectations of the project.

She placed the extra papers on her desk and faced the class. "I will be choosing your partners, and I expect you to work well with them." She looked at the class to make her point before picking up the list of partners and reading them off.

"And Mr. Ootori, you will be working with Miss Lee," she finished as she placed the paper back down. "Now I would like you to move your things so that you are sitting next to your partner, and then we'll continue the lesson from last class."

At that, most of the students stood to move to a table with their partner while some remained sitting. Kyouya was one of the ones sitting, so Kari moved to sit in the seat next to him.

She smiled a friendly smile before sitting and taking out her notes for the class. They sat in silence for the rest of the class, paying more attention to the lesson than to each other.

**:-:-:**

After school, Kari and Amy arrived at the host club to find that Tamaki had once again thought up a crazy theme for the guests- an interactive mystery. Honey's cake had gone missing, and the guests were able to help the detectives (hosts) with finding the clues.

Once the clues had led the group to the courtyard, Tamaki spotted a shady figure running into the hedge maze. Immediately, the group followed and split up. Most of the guests clung to Tamaki and Mori, but there were a few who left with the twins and Haruhi. Kyouya was pulled along with Tamaki.

"You don't think they're dangerous do you?" one of the girls asked.

"Nonsense!" one of the others reasoned. "They just stole Honey-sempai's cake, they couldn't be that dangerous!"

"Dangerous or not, I'll be sure that no princess shall be harmed!" Tamaki told the small group.

"Tamaki, I believe I've found another clue," Kyouya said, looking at a small chunk of cake in the middle of an intersection of pathways.

"But which way did they go?" the prince questioned, looking dramatically down each pathway.

"Perhaps we should split up," Kyouya suggested.

Tamaki stood with a questioning look. "But there are only two of us and three ways to go!"

"Two," a voice said. The group turned to see Mori and Honey with their group. "We just came from that way," Honey explained, pointing behind him.

"Something tells me this person may know their way through of the maze," Kyouya commented.

"Why do you say that?" one of the guests asked.

"It's a small chance, but," Kyouya pointed down the path to his left. "This way leads to the exit. If they know their way out, they'll have gone this way."

"Okay, so we'll split up then!" Tamaki cheered. "I'll go down this way," he continued with a point. "Who's coming with me?"

After a bit of decision making, Kyouya went to the left, followed by Mori and Honey. Most of the guests went with their group, but a brave few remained with Tamaki.

"The sun's starting to set," a girl noticed. "I hope we don't get stuck out here in the dark!"

"Don't worry, Princess, I'll be sure you make it out before sundown," Tamaki told her while holding her hand gently. "You have my word." She blushed and smiled, nodding an understanding.

The twins, meanwhile, were on almost the other side of the maze and had almost gotten lost a few times. "Kaoru, I told you we should've gone left!" Hikaru said when they came to another dead end.

"You're right Hikaru... you're not mad, are you?" Kaoru asked, giving him a pout. The guests who followed them watched the scene unfold.

"Kaoru, I could never be angry at you!" Hikaru exclaimed, pulling his brother into an embrace. The girls swooned over the display happily before the actions were halted by a rustle nearby.

"What was that?" one of the guests asked in a panicked tone.

"Could it be the thief?" another questioned.

"Let's go see," the twins said in unison before peeking around the bushes. The girls remained hidden by the hedge wall.

"Oh-"

"It's Haruhi."

The twins stepped out from hiding, followed by the guests. Amy waved with a smile. "Hi Haruhi! I thought you guys went the other way?"

Haruhi, with her two guests, shrugged. "We got a bit lost after running after who we thought was the thief."

"I don't think the thief is even on this side of the maze," a guest said.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, isn't the exit on the other side anyway?"

There was a silence as realization sunk in. If the thief wasn't on this side, it was possible they knew their way around the maze. "Let's get going then," Hikaru directed, starting off in the direction Harui's group had just come from.

"Wrong way, Hikaru," Haruhi told him. He turned around without missing a beat and soon everyone was headed to the exit.

**:-At Mai-Yo-:**

"Well, auditions are coming up. They'll be here before you know it!"

Hiroto was about to go onstage, and was chatting with Naomi and Brena in the kitchen. He had his arm around Naomi, and they both seemed very content.

"Yeah, I can hardly wait!" Brena replied happily. There were few customers coming in at this time, so Brena was taking a break while the food was being prepared. "What's it like onstage?"

Hiroto smirked. "I thought you were a big performer, I mean isn't that why you're at Ouran?"

She rolled her eyes at his comment. "I'm at Ouran on a music scholarship, like my step-sister. But the only stages I've been on are ones for competitions or performances for rich people. This place is different."

"Yeah, I guess a commoner restaurant is different than some high-class place," he replied with a laugh. "Well, I'm not sure about the stages you've been on, but this stage isn't too big, there's a bunch of different colored lights all over the place, and occasionally people will tell you what to sing."

"What do you mean?"

"He means," Naomi began. "People will sit out there, enjoying their food and drinks and get this urge to hear a song you may or may not know, and they'll demand you sing it. Most of them are drunk off their asses, but there are a small few that aren't."

"Wow, sounds awesome," Brena sighed. She had never performed at any place other than a classy room filled with uptight rich people, nor had she ever seen performances anywhere else either. Mai-Yo was different from what she was used to, and she actually _liked_ it.

"We'll see how much you like it. But for now, you should get back to your tables," Naomi suggested with a smile.

"Oh, right!" Brena smiled back and left to check on her customers.

Naomi and Hiroto sat at the break table until the time for him to go on arrived. "So, where did you say Takumi was?" Hiroto asked.

She shrugged. "Something about helping out a friend? I'm not sure, but I think I heard Ouran somewhere in there."

"Huh, strange."

**:-:-:**

Tamaki's group continued searching for the theif as the sun set lower into the horizon. Just when he was about to suggest checking on the exit, they heard someone beside their path. He quickly leaned against the hedge wall like a spy in a movie would, and the girls stayed behind him.

As the unknown runner turned the corner, Tamaki grabbed for his arm, causing both of them to tumble to the ground.

From the exit, Kyouya, Mori, Honey, and the guests who followed heard shrieking from where Tamaki's group was.

"Should we go make sure they're okay?" Honey asked.

Kyouya's gaze was calculating, and he kept a watch on the exit. Honey, Mori, and the guests watched too.

Suddenly, the mysterious theif appeared with a smushed box in his arms, stopping for a moment as they all stood in surprise.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you all!" Tamaki's faint voice could be heard, setting off the theif.

Before he got far, however, Mori stopped him from the front as Honey jumped him from behind. When Tamaki's group exited, they spotted the man sitting up and rubbing his head while Honey stood over an opened box of his smushed cake.

Only seconds later did Haruhi, the twins, and their guests run through the exit as well.

"My cake..." Honey moped with a pout and big eyes.

"Oh, Honey!" a few guests cried sadly, running over and trampling on the thief.

"I'm sure the cake still tastes fine," Mori stated as he leaned down and picked up the box. There were a few tables nearby where a plate and fork had been set up, and he placed the box down.

The guests watched as Honey tried the shushed cake- his face was still sad. However, it instantly brightened as he swallowed his first bite and he looked up at Mori. "You're right! It's delicious!"

The mysterious thief stood, rubbing his head while Kyouya approached now that the guests were distracted. "Thank you for helping us tonight," he stated.

Takumi smiled at him. "It's no problem at all. Seems like they all had fun," he replied, rubbing his head as it began to ache again. "I should be going back though, my shift starts at 9. Tell Honey and Mori I said bye, will ya?"

Kyouya nodded in response and Takumi left the Host Club to themselves.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Again, sorry for the sudden ending there, but I hope the chapter was still satisfactory! (:


	10. Confrontation

**A/N:** I'm here with a new chapter for Erubescent! I'd suggest re-reading chapter 9, but that's up to you. I'm sorry for the wait but I hope it was worth it! Also, I have a question: is it se**m**pai or se**n**pai? hmm...

Now go read Hikaru confronting Brena.

**:-:-:-:-:-:-:**

The very next day at lunch, Kari and Amy noticed there were several girls sitting with Brena at a different table. The two couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed and lonely, and the twins couldn't help but notice.

Amy pouted and looked down at her food. "Brena doesn't need us anymore," she said softly, her eyes watering.

Kari put a hand on her shoulder gently, trying to comfort her. "Of course she needs us Amy... Just not for socializing anymore..." She looked back at Brena, who still didn't seem to be talking much but looked a little happier than she had been.

Amy sniffled as she kept looking at her food and the twins exchanged looks, having a private, silent conversation.

"What's so great about that Host Club anyways?" Brena asked, cutting into a conversation about the same subject as she took a bite of her food.

The girls around her all looked at her as if she was crazy. "Have you not been?" one of them asked. Brena shook her head and there were several gasps at the table.

"We have to take you!" another exclaimed, setting off plenty of agreements throughout the group.

Brena shook her head and swallowed. "No can do, I have a job to do," she told them, grateful for looking into the ad Sakura left for her. A unanimous "Awww" sounded in response and she shrugged. "It was just a question anyways," she added. "My... sisters and I went after the first day of school and I just didn't see the appeal. I mean... _paying_ guys to spend time and attention on you and most likely someone else? It sounds like a waste of money to me."

"Oh but it's so much more!" Hani, the girl sitting next to Brena told her excitedly.

"Really?" Brena asked, not sounding convinced. "Do tell."

She glanced at the girl and raised an eyebrow at the lovestruck look on her face. "Each host has their own qualities and you can choose which one you meet with-"

"I just adore Honey!" one of the girls interrupted with a blush. Several others interrupted wth their own favorite causing Brena to look at them and wonder if she was learning in a mental institution.

"_Anyway_," Hani interrupted, looking back at Brena. "Sometimes they even have themes and adventures. Like yesterday we all went through the garden looking for the thief that stole Honey-sempai's cake!"

Brena, although slightly surprised that the club did such things, still seemed unimpressed. "Oh, sounds like a _blast_," she responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh but it was!" Hani exclaimed, turning to face her. "When you don't have work you have to come see!" The rest of the group nodded and responded in agreement.

Brena glanced at them and shook her head slowly while shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know guys... It doesn't really sound like my kinda place..."

"Just think about it will you?" Hani asked, looking at her with a small smile.

Brena looked at her for a few moments beofre sighing. "Alright-"

"Yay!" several cheered.

"I'll _think_ about it." She gave them a stern look before going back to her food and the others chatted happily to each other.

:-After Lunch-:

"It's alright Amy," Kaoru said, trying to comfort her. "I'm sure she's just been busy with work..."

"But why doesn't she sit with us at lunch?" the blond pouted, staring at the ground as they walked back to their class.

"It's probably because you sit with us," Hikaru grumbled, his arms crossed. "Maybe if you two sat by yourselves she'd join you for lunch."

"Hikaru!" Kaoru looked back at him with an expression saying that wasn't the best thing to tell her.

"Well it's true!" his brother replied. "Brena doesn't like the Host Club which means she doesn't like _us_." He turned his head to the side, his arms still crossed and mumbled. "She hasn't even met us."

Kari sighed and walked closer to Amy, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Brena's got a lot on her plate right now Amy... Maybe after things calm down and she gets used to everything she'll come back to us."

Amy sighed softly and shrugged as the group approached her next class. "I guess you're right." She looked into the room and saw Brena sitting at her desk. "You guys should get to class though. I'll see you after school." She offered a weak smile before walking into the classroom and sitting at the desk beside her sister.

"I hope things really do work out," Kari mumbled. "See you two after school," she waved sadly to the twins and walked up the stairs to her fourth period class. The twins followed their example and walked off to their class, discussing the topic of the Lee sisters on their way.

After school, the twins started up the stairs on their way to the club. Hikaru spotted Brena leaving her class as they made their way and the older Hitachiin stopped. "I just realized I left something in our last class," he explained.

Kaoru looked at him and stepped down a step. "Did you want to go get it?"

"I'll go myself it's not too far," he told him, already starting down the stairs. "I'll meet you at the club."

Kaoru paused, trying to figure out what was up with his brother, but just nodded. "Oh... okay. Be quick though." Hikaru waited until Kaoru had started on the next flight of stairs and ran in the direction he saw Brena going. She wouldn't be leaving the school so easily today.

:-bloop-:

Brena had almost made it to her car before she was stopped by none other than Hikaru Hitachiin. "What do you want?" she asked as she crossed her arms, only a few feet from her car.

Hikaru stood straight a few feet from her, a determined look on his face and his impatience obvious in his voice. "You can't ignore her forever you know," he told her bluntly.

Brena returned his impatient look with one of her own. "Ignore who?"

"Your sister! Amy," he exclaimed.

"I'm not ignoring her," Brena replied calmly.

"Well it sure seems like you are," he retorted. "What's with that group you were sitting with at lunch?"

Brena raised her eyebrow at his question, crossing her arms. "Not that it's any of your business, but they practically dragged me with them. I wanted to eat outside but I really didn't have much say. Now, if you don't mind, I have a job to get to." She turned and started for her car, but stopped when Hikaru said something.

"You might want to tell your sisters that." She turned to see him looking at her with a determined and protecting look in his eyes. "They think you're still holding some grudge against them just because they like coming to the Host Club."

Brena sighed softly, her brows furrowed.. "I already told Amy I wasn't mad at them for that," she explained before giving him an angered look. "Besides, it's not your place to care like that for _my _sisters. If they have a problem they'll talk to me about it. I already told Amy I wasn't mad and I _know_ she told Kari. Stop standing up for them just because you finally met someone who doesn't want anything to do with your _stupid_ club!"

Hikaru watched as she stormed off to her car and left after she drove off. His jaw unclenched after he took a breath and walked back off to the club with a scowl on his face. "Wouldn't wanna have anyone like you to come to our club anyways," he grumbled to himself.

**:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:**

**A/N:** Sorry it's so short, but I feel like it's a good place to end the chapter without dragging on and on and on and on...

Anyways, let me know what you think! ^^


	11. The Situation

**(A/N):** Sorry it's been so long! I'm not back for good just yet but I have not forgotten about any of you guys. This chapter's pretty short and I wish I could've made it longer but I'm a bit stuck right now. I'll be back when I have more ideas! Please tell me what you guys think and how you've been! (:

Also, if you have any ideas you may want to contribute for the characters or storyline feel free to tell me. I may or may not use them but they could inspire me! (: Enjoy reading!

* * *

><p>When Brena had gotten home from work, everyone was surrounding the table enjoying a game together. She had her school bag around her shoulder, her uniform stuffed inside, and she slowly walked into the living room, watching her family enjoying their game.<p>

As they laughed and joked, she leaned against the wall with a small smile on her face. Kari's mother looked up with a grin and tilted her head at Brena. "Oh, Brena! You're finally home. Come join us for a game!" she urged.

Brena swallowed when all eyes were on her before shaking her head with a small smile. "Oh no, you guys have fun. I need to shower anyways," she explained before shrugging and starting up the stairs.

"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug.

When Brena had disappeared up the stairs, Amy stood up and excused herself before following behind her sister. "Brena?" she asked just as her sister began walking into her room.

Brena paused before turning with a "Yeah?"

Amy fiddled with her fingers as she confronted her sister, giving her an innocent pout. "You're not still… mad at us are you?"

Brena's expression softened a bit and she let go of some of the tension she felt before approaching her sister. Didn't they already discuss that? Maybe she had only imagined telling them.

"I'm… a little upset yeah. But I guess… you're gonna do what you want to do. Just let me do my own thing too," she said, a soft expression on her face. Hurt still showed from the actions her sister took, but only Amy would have been able to tell.

"I'm sorry," she started, softly but eagerly. "I knew you wouldn't like me joining the club with Kari and all but… it's just that… I really like going and I thought maybe with some… encouraging you'd come too." She gave her sister an apologetic look. "I didn't mean to make you upset like that."

Brena let out a soft sigh. "I know. It just… you didn't even talk to me about it you just kind of decided and, well, it kinda hurt you know? But if you really want to go to the club I can't exactly stop you."

Her sister shrugged with her hand on her arm in a sheepish manner. "I understand Brena… I'm really sorry. I really didn't want to hurt you like that, honest."

"I know you didn't mean to Amy. I'll get over it," Brena replied with a small, assuring nod. "…But anyway, you go get back to your game. I'm gonna shower."

Amy nodded, "Alright, I'll see you later sis."

Brena nodded once before entering the bathroom and Amy walked downstairs. She was happy to have confronted her sister and heard that she wasn't angry with her, but something still felt off about the way Brena acted. The blond had a feeling that she wasn't completely forgiven just yet.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kari and Amy still got a ride from the Hitachiin twins as Brena had yet to offer them a ride to school.<p>

"Did you ever talk to her?" Hikaru asked Amy when the ride situation was brought up.

The blond nodded. "Yes… she said she wasn't angry with us anymore. She's just busy now. But she still feels kind of hurt I think." She shrugged as she sat back and began playing with the fabric of her dress.

Kaoru glanced at his brother before trying to comfort her. "Well, at least you know she isn't angry. We don't mind giving you rides if you still need them-" he started before his brother interrupted.

"Even though it's out of our way," Hikaru added, quieter and off to the side.

Kaoru ignored his comment. "But it might be better for all of you if you can get a ride with her and spend that time together."

Amy nodded. "She wasn't there this morning when we got up, so I didn't have a chance to ask," she said softly. "I'll ask her tonight when I see her though. Thanks for giving us rides all the time… I know it must be annoying," she said, still in a shy, quiet voice while leaning back. Her eyes remained on her dress most of the time, although she offered a small smile to the brothers to keep them from asking what was the matter.

Kari watched her sister as she sat back and couldn't help but sigh softly, wishing the storm was ending for good between the two girls and Brena.


End file.
